How to mask up to protect yourself from wildfire smoke
Wear an N95 tightly around your mouth and nose to protect against particles in smoke. DepositPhotos We’re all familiar with protective masks. Since 2020, many more Americans have adopted them as defenses against airborne droplets that spread COVID and other pathogens. And while the US recently lifted the pandemic public health emergency, there’s another crisis that’s becoming harder to ignore—smoke-belching wildfires exacerbated by climate change. When wildfire smoke is thick in the air, precautions such as masking can help keep you safe from the toxic gases that fires generate, says Jun Wu, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of California, Irvine. Specifically, consider wearing N95 masks or similar respirators. Preparing now for poor air quality is vital, since it is a problem that is likely to worsen as...